Home » Hanafi Fiqh » Fatwaa.com » Mother taunting child

Mother taunting child

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Fatwaa.com

ASSALAM U ALAIKUM
I saw a mother calling her child Allah’s useless person while taunting him because he didn’t meet her is it bad to say this ?? Is this kufr?

Answer

Wa’alaykum as Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

The situation mentioned is quite unfortunate and saddening.

It is not appropriate that the mother addresses her child in a derogatory manner, or taunts her child. This is completely against the teachings of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ.

Allāh Ta’ālā says:

“Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly (or uselessly); exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” [Al-Qur’ān 3:191]

Based on the aforementioned verse of the Holy Qur’ān, it is not correct for a person to refer to another being or anything else as ‘useless’.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allāh be pleased with him) has also reported the following:

“I served the Prophet ﷺ for ten years. By Allāh, he never even said to me, “Uff!” He never said (harshly), “Why did you do that?” or, “Why did you not do that?”” [Bukhārī and Muslim]

Furthermore, every child deserves the love of his mother. However, a child should never fail to respect his mother, irrespectively. As the famous saying goes: “Two wrongs do not make a right”.

Allāh Ta’ālā also mentions:

“No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. And if a sin-burdened soul cries for help with its burden, none of it will be carried—even by a close relative.” [Al-Qur’ān 35:18]

The aforementioned verse indicates the fact that each person will be answerable to Allāh on the Day of Judgement for his/her own actions. For example, in the case mentioned, the mother will be answerable for her attitude and statement to her child, and likewise, the child (once being mature) will also be answerable for his behavior towards his mother.

Lastly, is imperative that as human beings, we should always introspect and take stock of ourselves when it comes to two relationships:

  1. Our relationship with Allāh.
  2. Our relationship with people.

One should ensure that we abstain and refrain from committing evil against Allāh, against others, and also against ourselves.

In conclusion, the statement of the mother directed towards her child is not Kufr. However, it goes against the teachings of Allāh and His Messenger ﷺ. Therefore, it is necessary that the mother repents to Allāh, and also make amends with her child.

And Allaah Ta’aala knows best

Wassalaam,

Ismail Moosa (Mufti)

This answer was collected from Fatwaa.com which is an excellent Q&A site managed by Mufti Ismail Moosa from South Africa. .

Read answers with similar topics: